AVReading January 2026-- Teacher and Collective Efficacy

 

There is some truth to the oft quoted proverb, “Whether you believe you can or can’t, you are right.” While belief alone is not sufficient for task completion, it is necessary.  This holds true for both students, but even more importantly, for teachers and even schools.

In one study, it was discovered that over the course of a year, students’ expectations of themselves often mirrored the expectations of their teachers. So teachers who expected their students to do well often did, and those who expected their students to struggle or fail often met with that fate as well (Midgley, Fedlauger, & Eccles 1989).

Additionally, these results played out across entire school communities, which often compounds the effects of high-efficacy or even low-efficacy teachers.  And in one study, it was shown to be a greater predictor of success than the socio-economic status of the school’s students (Hoy, Sweetland, & Smith 2002).

This is both an empowering, and perhaps frightful, realization.  It suggests that the feelings we have about our students frame the way we see them.  It suggests that the choices we make about what we want them to do and how we want them to behave correlate to what we ask of them and how we interact with them.  This, however, does not mean simply having high expectations is going to inspire students to work harder.  But it does mean that we must continually ask ourselves about how we think of our students and whether the types of academic tasks we are asking of them are in their zone of proximal development. This should be different from year-to-year, class-to-class, and even student-to-student. 

Here are some activities to promote healthy teacher and collective efficacy.

Set aside time for reflection.  In your reflections regarding student performance (specifically when they either seem to be struggling or when you sense that they might not be struggling enough), examine the data (formatives, recent grades, quiz scores, completion rates, daily observations) and consider whether your lessons and curriculum are hitting the mark.  Are your lessons meaningful learning experiences?  Are students engaged?  Are they frustrated?  Or are they too dependent on you for the work?

Teacher Talk.  Collective efficacy is about the environment of a given school.  It begins from the top down with administrators, but also works from the bottom up with the faculty and staff.  Be mindful of the way you and your peers speak of students and classes.  Often, it happens in jokes we make about how abysmal our students or classes have become.  “Frankie couldn’t pass a class if the final test was a one question multiple choice item with only one choice.”  Sometimes the statements are made in frustration (“I’m just glad they showed up today.”) Or “It’s just better when Jenny isn’t in class.”   Or sometimes, our thoughts are based on misguided notions about a student’s homelife, “Well, you can’t expect much if the family doesn’t care.”  These comments, often made as side conversations in faculty meetings or in informal gatherings impact the atmosphere of our schools.  Choosing what we say, and how we say it, about our students impacts both the way we frame our understanding and the way others frame their understanding of classes and students.  Choose carefully. 

Professional Learning Communities.  Creating a positive collective efficacy also means working in conjunction with peers.  Working together to align curriculum to standards and to create common formative and summative assessments to share resources and to offer social, emotional and professional support are all healthy steps to building the foundations of collective efficacy.  Going rogue or playing the maverick might be easier for the individual teacher but doing so can create toxic environments.  As a former student told me, “If you want to run fast, run alone.  But if you want to run far, run together.” 

 

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Hoy, W.K, et al. “Toward an Organization Model of Achievement in High Schools: The Significance of Collective Efficacy.” Educational Administration Quarterly, vol. 38, no. 1, 2002, pp. 77–93.

Midgley, C, et al. “Changes in Teacher Efficacy and Students' Self- and Task-Related Beliefs in Mathematics during the Transition to Junior High School.” Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 81, 1989, pp. 247–258.